Christmastime for the Jews

Are there any Jewish lessons to be learned from this time of the year?

Here’s one:

You can get a Kosher Pareve “Merry Christmas” cake! J

For the most part, the Jewish Christmas experience remains in the realm of Chinese food, movies, and pop culture (like this Saturday Night Live video short).

I think that this season of another religion’s celebration can give us something to think about from a Jewish perspective.  Here are two things I have been thinking about this season.  (Some of what follows is adapted from my sermon this past Shabbat at KJ.)

1)  It’s time for muscular Judaism.

I just read a very interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal entitled “The Death of God is Greatly Exaggerated.”  It focuses on Eric Metaxas, an author, radio host, and speaker, who is a proponent of “muscular Christianity.”  What is muscular Christianity?  Metaxas is a strong proponent that faith has a role in all discussions

I think Judaism should be a little more muscular.

Judaism has something to say about every aspect of our lives.  We should look to the Torah and not shy away from letting our faith influence how we approach the issues of the day. 

Issues such as poverty, hunger, immigration, and strengthening families are among the issues which religious perspectives can be beneficial.  We often say, “Eitz chaim hi,” that the Torah is a tree of life.  It is a way of life, and we should not shy away from looking to its teaching to address the issues of the day.

2)  Let’s talk more about faith.

I have watched parts of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.  I am intrigued by what is done and what is said.  I am no expert, but I notice a tremendous appreciation of the sacred, expressions of faith, and acceptance of the mysterious in the portions I have seen. 

This gets me thinking about the role of faith and holiness in Judaism.  It goes without saying how fundamental these ideas are in Judaism, but we focus on more on deed than creed.  While Judaism is far more about the mitzvoth (actions), we ignore the Godly and spiritual aspects at our own peril.

On the last day of classes before winter break, I taught my Ramaz seventh graders the “Halakhot of Vacation.”  I gave them a sheet with selections from Rabbi Yechiel Michel Ha-Levi Epstein’s Aruch Ha-Shulchan. In the very first chapter (Chapter 1, section 5), he states:

A foundation of Torah and a central pillar of Judaism is to know there is only one, unique, indivisible God who created the universe and continues to supervise the world every hour of every minute.

You may ask what this has to do with vacation.  The answer is that being Jewish means knowing and having a relationship with God. Whether it is in school or shul or on vacation, Judaism is built upon a relationship with the Divine. This is at the core of our religion, yet it is not a theme often heard in the school or synagogue.

My encounter with Midnight Mass got me thinking about how to add more of the sacred and God awareness in to Judaism.  The religious celebration of others can and should lead to a strengthening of our own faith and religious experience.